A number of reasons have led to the growth in umbrella funds and the consolidation of the industry. One of the main underlying factors for standalone funds to convert to umbrella funds is cost. In addition, umbrella...

Beneficiary funds were introduced in January 2009. Yet many pension fund trustees and financial advisers remain unaware or confused about their use and advantages. Fairheads Benefit Services believes that all financial advisers, especially those...

Few people have not heard of the phrase ‘Solar power’. It is one of the energy supplies of the future. However, the problem is the upfront costs of the technology, its installation and maintenance, and the fact it...

“Small business creates jobs,” or so the saying goes. The corollary to this statement is that it is the mandate of big business to shed jobs as it attempts to do “more for less”. Both statements are true … well kind...

Doctors often misdiagnose zinc deficiency, and seem to be unaware of the impact of excess zinc on the body, shows a small audit of clinical practice, published online in the Journal of Clinical Pathology.

The Financial Services Board (FSB) is set to adopt a Retail Distribution Review (RDR) to regulate financial advisers and to ensure that customers receive fair outcomes. It is based on the model implemented in the UK where it has evidently...

Claims statistics released by Old Mutual recently highlight the diverse range of illnesses, disabilities and deaths that befall South Africans each year, and emphasise the importance for people to ensure they have...

Fred Fromm, vice president and portfolio manager, Franklin Equity Group, discusses the recent pullback in oil prices and the prospects of the downturn continuing. He also reveals where he’s finding potential equity opportunities in the...

Life insurance is one of those financial products that most people do not really like talking about. It can seem complicated or confusing and it involves talking about death, about which is something most of us would...

South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis and the misery that it brings for so many young people and their families. The country has the third highest unemployment rate in the world for people between the ages of 15 to 24, according to the World...

Speaking at the Sanlam Investments Institutional Insights conference in Johannesburg early September, Dr Philippa Malmgren said there is an intriguing standoff taking place between the US Federal Reserve and emerging markets, with the likes of...

In recent months, China has stepped up a longstanding campaign for its currency (officially called the renminbi [RMB] but also referred to as the yuan), to be included as a part of the composition of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s)...

The Ukrainian government has been struggling for several months to strike a deal with private sovereign bond holders to restructure its debt. Negotiations are at a standstill while the economic and financial situation of the country becomes...

The 6% devaluation of the kwanza by Angola’s central bank (BNA) in June has not alleviated pressure on the national currency, which reached an all-time low on mid-July, losing 18% since 1st January. Like many oil-producing countries, Angola is...

Overall, activity in the oil & gas industry across the African continent has slowed in the wake of the declining oil price in late 2014. “While the oil price has caused activity to drop, it has also served as a...

South Africa’s private healthcare system is in crisis. Dr Brian Ruff, CEO of PPO Serve, did not attempt to sugar coat the pill when addressing delegates at the 16th annual Board of Healthcare Funders conference held...

Increases in take home pay averaged 8% according to the BankservAfrica Disposable Salary Index (BDSI) over the last twelve months, with the average take home pay breaking the R13 000 per month mark for the first time...

China’s recent devaluation of its currency has raised a lot of questions, and as a result, we have seen a near-panic response across financial markets. However, we do not believe that the renminbi’s depreciation is...

Reviewing the findings of the 2015 Health Quality Assessment 2015, Dr Johann van Zyl of Towers Watson pronounced that the quality of healthcare in South Africa was inadequate. This is despite some encouraging trends...

For the past decade, the funding industry has been objecting to the legal interpretation of Regulation 8, which requires that prescribed minimum benefits (PMBs) be paid in full at provider cost – regardless of that cost. The Department of Health...

Online fraud has been identified by 79% of organisations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa as a growing challenge to be faced over the next five years. This is according to a new report launched by Experian....

With effect from 1st April 2015, all employers are required by law to appoint temporary workers as permanent employees, following a three-month continuous working period. This is in terms of changes to Section 198 of...

House purchases are typically funded by a mix of savings (used as a deposit or down payment) and a home loan, financed by a bank. Local banks apply tough lending criteria and it is common for first time buyers to have to ‘find’ between 10% and 20...

It is no secret that the modern day lifestyle is bad for our health. As statistics for the June to December 2014 period, released by Hollard Life reveal, heart disease and cancer are by far the leading causes of all...

The FSB has published on its website a draft of a Board Notice that it intends to issue relating to the reporting of transactions in listed securities concluded outside of an exchange, as provided for in section 25 of...

Expatriates and their employers are grappling with the tax regime for foreigners who render services in South Africa for a relatively short period. These individuals (sometimes referred to as “short-term business...

You pay your house, car, medical and other insurance premiums every month in good faith, trusting that you will be covered in the case of unfortunate events. However, are you aware of the security measures that could...

A move afoot will lead to improved liquidity on Africa’s exchanges. This will see increased cross listings of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) on the larger exchanges on the continent. There is a concerted effort from ETF...

Mutual & Federal recently advised that it would acquire Santam’s 33.6% stake in the Credit Guarantee Insurance Corporation of Africa Ltd (CGIC). The transaction should be completed in the second half of 2015 and...

CMS circulars are regarded by the regulator as legally binding, but this is not the case. Paul Midlane, General Manager: Legal Governance Risk Compliance, Medscheme, made this point emphatically at the 16th Board of...

The BRICS bank has been on the cards for a number of years and the institutionalisation of it was inevitable. From a funding perspective, the main capital contributions are initially China with $41-billion, Brazil/...

There is the ‘Road less well travelled’, which characterises the harder, but more successful way in the long run. The easy way (the low road) usually gives quick results, but leads to medium term failure. South Africa cannot really debate...